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FAX BULLETIN PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS BULLETIN TO YOUR COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT HEADS & STAFF Bulletin # 6 March 9, 2001 Local Government Fund In order to balance the state budget and in an effort to fund education as mandated in the DeRolph ruling, local governments, libraries and park districts would pay approximately 25% of the $807 million of new funding for primary and secondary education proposed by the Governor. The total loss (because of a freeze to the various local government funds) to local governments and libraries would equal approximately $190 million. If your state Senators and Representatives do not hear lots of opposition from city and village officials there will be little incentive to change the Governor’s proposal. Annexation SB 5 will receive its first hearing Wednesday, March 14 at 10:00 a.m. before the House Local Government and Township Committee (Rm. 121) It is scheduled for sponsor testimony. Since there were no changes made in the Senate, the three problem areas in the bill remain. Those are (1) the consideration by county commissioners of territory located ½ mile outside of the annexing territory; (2) a ridiculously generous reparations schedule; (3) a so-called expedited 100% petition procedure that has been rendered almost useless. OML is on record as opposing this legislation. Please contact members of the committees to express your concerns. (You may obtain the names and phone numbers of each committee member on the OML web site: ) HB 9 Moves Forward House Bill 9, sponsored by Rep. Setzer appears to be moving ahead. House Bill 9 originally dealt with government aggregation of natural gas. During the process, the Governor's "Project Thaw" was added to the bill. The portion of HB9 dealing with aggregation was hotly debated in the bill's first hearing before the Senate Ways & Means Committee. After hearing from numerous municipalities and interest groups and negotiations between all parties, sections of the bill have been changed. New language removes the pilot provisions for government aggregation currently in the bill and instead permits local governments to aggregate either under their Constitutional authority or under the provisions of the bill that allow for opt-in and opt-out aggregation. There are still a few questions about the bill, but it is expected to be voted out of Senate Ways & Means Committee next week and on the Senate floor the following day. HOUSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT & TOWNSHIPS COMMITTEE Twyla Roman (Chair) 48 R Akron 614-466-1790 COMMITTEE SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 12, 2001 Tuesday, March 13 WAYS & MEANS, After Session, South Hearing Rm., Chr. Blessing, Phone: 466-8068. HB 9 NATURAL GAS SALES (Setzer) Subjects retail natural gas suppliers and governmental aggregators to certification by the Public Utilities Commission, authorizes governmental aggregation for competitive retail natural gas services, and authorizes the PUCO, upon application by a governmental aggregator, to require a natural gas company to provide distribution service on a comparable and nondiscriminatory basis within the area of the governmental aggregation. (2nd Hearing - Interested party - Substitute bill possible) Wednesday, March 14 LOCAL GOVERNMENT & TOWNSHIPS,
10 a.m., Rm. 121, Chr. Roman, Phone: 466-1790. HB 41 MUNICIPAL INVESTMENTS (Sulzer) Permits a municipal corporation to include the treasurer of a city or village, rather than the city director of law or village solicitor, among the officials who may order the investment of moneys in the municipal corporation's treasury. (2nd Hearing- Proponent, opponent & interested party) RETIREMENT & AGING, 10:30 a.m., Rm.
122, Chr. Schuring, Phone: 752-2438. |
